More Than Meets the Eye

Interior design competitions are far more than mere beauty pageants — they involve a complex system of entry and judgment and lead to much more than an award in name for all those involved. So why is this myth so prevalent?

THERE’S NO REFUTING THAT INTERIOR DESIGN IS A VISUAL PROFESSION.

So when it comes to interior design competitions, the tendency to equate them with beauty contests makes sense. While that might be an easy — and in limited cases, accurate — way to look at it, in reality, most design competitions comprise a complex process of collaboration and provide meaningful outcomes for everyone involved.

“Design competitions involve conscious, logical and rational decisions,” says D.B. Kim, an independent designer based in New York who’s judged several competitions during his career. “I can’t imagine people disregarding competitions as beauty pageants. They’re not superficial at all — it’s really an intent to recognize a great example of design with an award.”

For entrants in competitions, the feeling is the same. “Our overall experience [in design competitions] has been gratifying,” says Rick Sundberg, FAIA, LEED AP, and partner at Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, which won IIDA’s 36th Annual Interior Design Competition — an international design competition created to recognize and reward outstanding design and to encourage new ideas and techniques in the design and furnishing of interior spaces — for the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle.

“Aesthetics are certainly part of the judging, but the most important thing is a good idea, well presented.”

BEHIND THE SCENES

From the entrants to the judges to the competition sponsors, interior design competitions are valuable additions to the industry. “As judges, we look at what can be exemplified to inspire the next generation of interior design professionals,” Kim says.

Far beyond the aesthetics, Kim thinks of design competitions as a learning experience for everyone involved. “I hope that other competitors see the results of who won and hopefully they will walk away with inspirational points and lessons from other design examples.”

For Sundberg, winning the 36th Annual Interior Design Competition brought many bonuses. “Our project team always feels a sense of reward when our work is recognized,” he says. “In this case, it’s not just the design team that feels like we’ve won — it’s the museum staff, the builders, the [museum] community and many others.”

He adds that the recognition from peers is a humbling experience and that to be celebrated on the same stage as other talented designers is “not to be taken for granted.” While winning competitions might not change the core goals of his firm, it does reinforce them. “Our values are deeply rooted in the culture of our firm,” he says. “The greatest value [of winning] comes from the gratification of the team and the clients — there’s an expanded recognition of the firm.”

At Los Angeles-based Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design — also a winner of IIDA’s 36th Annual Interior Design Competition for the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles — the experience is similar. “When we complete and submit a project, it’s really about confirmation more than anything else,” says Principal Mehrdad Yazdani.

He also enjoys the acknowledgment by his peers. “It helps with recognition for ourselves and also for the client and what they allowed us to build,” he says. “Subsequently, that exposes our ideas and work to a broader audience. It has a public relations aspect to it, which reinforces what the practice is capable of doing.”

For Suzanne Tick, Affiliate IIDA, President of Suzanne Tick, Inc., Design Director at Tandus and a judge for more than a decade, her experience judging last year’s IIDA Annual Interior Design Competition left a lasting impression. She was amazed by the quality of the submissions from an array of focus areas, including retail, healthcare, corporate and residential design. “I think all this wonderful variation in the competition comes from the spirit of being part of the design community.”

Moreover, she too regards competitions as learning opportunities. “They show me the real shift in direction and scope of where design is going in different marketplaces — some areas are becoming much more sophisticated,” she says.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, Calif., design entry ultimately moved her the most. “It blew me away,” she says. “This was nice to see in this competition because we get so many corporate interiors, and when you see a more spiritual space, you realize the design committee is hitting all aspects of the world. That moment made me proud to be in this industry.”

PICTURE THIS

But the beauty pageant stereotype — that design competitions are judged only by aesthetics and beautiful images — is still there. Most interior designers would agree that stunning photography in a submittal for a competition holds a lot of sway in how judges will evaluate a project, but that’s only the beginning. “As a judge — or if you’ve been in the profession long enough — nothing makes a better presentation than good photography,” says Rosalyn Cama, FASID, and President of CAMA, Inc., a New Haven, Conn.-based healthcare interior planning and design company. “A masterful photographer can win an award for you even if your design work isn’t any good.”

But, after all, Interior Design is strongly rooted in looks. “As professionals, we are such visual people and beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” says Jean Hansen, FIIDA, CID, LEED AP, AAHID, Sustainable Interiors Manager for sustainable design solutions at HDR in San Francisco, who has judged for IIDA and Metropolis’ Smart Environments Awards. “And people who haven’t been involved in putting
together a competition might not understand all of the various components that go into it.”

Yazdani agrees. “It’s believed that to some extent the jury or judges are seduced by beautiful graphics, beautiful photography, seductive forms, shapes and spaces,” he says.

The difficulty in judging a picture only can sometimes come down to time. “I believe in some competitions, the number of entries or the jury’s lack of time or patience to dig deeply into critical issues can affect the outcome,” Yazdani says. “The jury might not fully understand or appreciate the complexity of ideas and judge superficially on what they see.”

In many competitions, judges only have a day or two to pore over hundreds of entries — and that can lead to judges simplifying the process. “A lot of people just don’t have time to sit and read through all the entries, so it becomes a visual thing and if you want to take the time to read about it, you have to make a major effort as a judge,” Tick says.

IN THE DETAILS

Since entrants can’t eliminate the external factors like time or the visual preferences affecting judges, they have to work to make their submissions as effective as possible. “[When I enter a competition] I look at it from a judge’s point of view,” Yazdani says. “If I were to judge, what would I want to know? What is unique about the design? What is powerful? And what do I use to convey that? You need to be simple, powerful and concise for a judge who only has a few minutes to grasp your project.”

And as a judge, Kim wants to be inspired. “It’s not just about mimicries of the trends. The competition is all about the details — I’m looking at the future.”